Second Chances
by Lacerda
Summary: A dinner with the trolls sends Elsa back to the morning she had regretted the most-the day that she first shut the door. At first, she ignorantly rewrites things but soon she realizes the consequences of every action. Her out-of-control powers in her 8 year old body don't make things any easier. Will she be able to make up for every lost moment or will she fail Anna once more?
1. An Invitation

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Frozen, nor its characters but I do own the substantial thing in this fanfic! The plot.

* * *

**Second Chances**

**Chapter One: An Invitation**

Anna groaned, "Elsa, c'moooon. Can't you do that later?"

"Anna, not all of us have the luxury of time that you have." Elsa said, not looking up from the long document she was reading, "And before you ask, no I can't build a snowman. I've got five meetings to get to after this trading contract is signed."

"But you're the Queen? You can afford to cancel at least _one _meeting." Anna pouted.

"Anna," the elder of the two sighed, meeting her eyes. She tried not to subject to the little pout that her sister was giving her, "Maybe tomorrow, okay?"

"You always say that." Anna murmured but left anyway.

Elsa sighed. She really did wanted to spend time with her sister but ever since she had thawed the fjord over, Arendelle had been given a lot more attention by neighboring isles. There were documents to be signed, trades to be established, alliances to be formed...and little to no time for leisure. At least, for her.

She dipped her pen into the black ink and elegantly wrote a decline message on a brand new parchment. There would be no trading with Wesselton any time soon.

(*)

"So you see, I've barely been able to spend any time with her because of all this stupid 'meetings' and 'contracts'-which are a hundred feet long at least!-and-argh!" Anna exclaimed. She swung her legs back and forth childishly, "I only get to see her breakfast and dinner time and we don't even talk then! I thought ever since the eternal winter scenario things would go back to normal..." she trailed off, "Well, now that I think about it things _are _back to normal seeing I'm talking to you but I meant..."

The portrait of Joan of Arc stared back silently.

"...Yeah, you're no help at all."

"Hey-o Anna!" a voice sounded behind her. She swung her head back swiftly, accidentally unbalancing herself. She let out a little groan as her body collided with the floor. She opened one eye and let out a little squeak of surprise when she saw a huge patch of brown fur.

"Sven?" she said, confusion tainted her voice as the reindeer licked her face fondly, "Did you just talk?"

"No, actually, that was Olaf."

"Kristoff!" she grinned, getting up and tackling her friend, "You're back!"

After exchanging hugs and greetings Olaf and Sven had left leaving Anna and Kristoff alone. Her friends' return had lightened up her mood considerably.

"Two weeks!"

"Yeah, well, middle of summer y'know, ice is_ really_ in demand right now," he said, grinning, "It's good to be back."

"You're only saying that 'cause the food's better here."

"Hmm, maybe." he teased, earning him a light shove, "So I've got to know, were you _talking _to that painting when we got in?"

Anna felt her cheeks heat up, "Uh, yeah I mean no. Well, yes but...I used to, um, talk to them when I got lonely when I was a...a kid." she stammered.

"Mmhm?" Kristoff smirked as though he didn't believe her.

"No, really! I got _that _bored!" Anna insisted.

"Wow," Kristoff laughed, "Don't worry, I understand. People think I'm weird just because I speak reindeer. Lonely childhood, huh?"

"That's a way to put it." Anna said, if a bit bitterly, "But c'mon, enough with the nostalgia! I want to know, what happened during your trip! Did you bring me any souvenirs?"

The two left the portrait room hand in hand.

(*)

_knock...knock...knock..._

Elsa looked up from her book, staring at the door. She didn't recognize the knock as 'Anna's Signature Knock' (as she had taken to call it) so she supposed it was one of the servants.

"Come in," she said, composing herself as the door creaked open hesitantly.

"Kristoff?" Elsa said, arching an eyebrow.

"Um, yes Your Majesty uh...hi?" Kristoff said obviously uncomfortable.

"Hello. What is it that you need?" she said.

"Just, uh, Anna was asking...no I was asking, no...my family-the trolls?-yeah, they were asking if they could invite you and Anna over. Just a simple dinner at...you is, if you aren't busy."

Elsa blinked and thought over what the ice deliverer was trying to say, "Tonight? Will the trolls be okay with me coming along?"

"Uh, yeah. Yes to both, if it's okay with you too, I mean..." he rubbed his shoulder nervously.

She ran over her schedule for today and her lips formed a tiny smile, "Yes, actually. I think I might have time..."

One of her meetings had been cancelled for another day so she supposed...

"Yes I'll definitely be going."

"Oh? Great," Kristoff nodded, "Um, we'll be leaving at around sundown. Me and Sven can take you, we'll be at the gates at...around sundown," he said, awkwardly, "Okay...uh, bye?"

"Goodbye, Kristoff," Elsa said, amused.

(*)

Elsa was waiting at the gates exactly as the sun touched down below the mountains. Anna arrived only seconds later but the mountain man and his reindeer were nowhere to be seen.

"Hi," Elsa said, acknowledging her sister. Anna jumped, "Hi! Oh, hi me?"

"Deja vu."

The two cracked a smile.

"So...dinner with the trolls, huh?" Elsa said, "What's the occasion?"

"Hm? Oh didn't Kristoff tell you?" Anna said, running a hand through her hair. She had let it down today and though different than her usual braided pigtails it was...a good different.

"No, he didn't."

"Must've slipped his mind then. I'll tell you! It's Grand Pabbie's birthday today!"

Elsa nodded, "Oh? He's turning how old?"

"Hm...1004?" Anna contemplated, "Somewhere around there?"

"Oh." Elsa said trying to stay indifferent.

Her sister burst out laughing, "You...should've seen your...face!" she wheezed, "I'm just kidding! H-He's turning 507!"

Just as Elsa opened her mouth to reply, a shadow caught her eye. She turned to the side and recognized the burly frame and the animal-like figure beside it, "Well, it looks like our escort is here."

"Yeah!" Anna grinned goofily, "Kristoff! Hi!" she began running towards him and practically threw herself at him. Elsa smiled, she approved of their relationship but they always insisted that it was nothing more than a friendship. She herself began walking towards the couple (and reindeer).

"So we're off?" Kristoff asked, readying the sled.

"Yeah!" Anna said as Elsa nodded. They arranged themselves on the sled as Kristoff took his place on Sven's back, "Oh, I forget to tell you, Your Majesty, uh, it's Grand Pabbie's birthday today, um...that's why..."

"Yes, Kristoff, I know. Anna told me about it, no worries," the Queen said, "No need for formalities here, you can call me Elsa."

"A-alright, Your Ma-" he caught himself, "Elsa."

The three rode on in companionable silence to the Valley of the Living Rock.

* * *

**Author's Note**

This is my first Frozen fanfic and let me say that I'm super excited to get back to writing after months of hiatus. This movie really hit me home for personal reasons and I knew that I just _had _to write about it so here's the result! I'm so sorry if it seems a bit rushed but...I'm just doing this for fun (okay, maybe not the best excuse for writing without quality) and I don't gain for posting this anyway.


	2. Unforgivable Regret

**Second Chances**

**Chapter Two: Unforgivable Regret**

By the time the three had arrived, the party had begun. The younger trolls were playing a game of 'mushroom tag' whereas the elder ones were eating and drinking what looked like red wine. Grand Pabbie was seated atop a large stone, watching the party gladly.

"Hey, Pabbie!" Kristoff said, waving at the eldest of the trolls.

"Happy Birthday!" Anna grinned.

"Kristoff, Anna! You came! Oh, and Her Majesty as well! Hello, hello!" Grand Pabbie said, eyes twinkling. Elsa bowed formally, "Hello, Grand Pabbie. It's nice to see you again."

"You as well!" he said, "Now go, enjoy the party! Eat, drink and be merry!"

Kristoff nodded and suddenly lurched backward.

"Kristoff!" a squeaky voice cried. A young troll had perched herself on the man's back, "You're back! C'mon let's play!"

"Angeline!" he laughed, "Wow, you're getting heavier," he muttered as the other kids pulled him away from the two royal sisters.

"Sorry." he said waving goodbye, "I'll get back to you guys later!"

"Bye!" Anna said, waving back enthusiastically.

"So," she said turning to Elsa, "I thought you had five meetings?"

"One of them was cancelled." the Queen explained, surveying her surroundings.

"Oh."

The two stood there awkwardly, neither knew what to say.

"Um...so I saw something that looked like the troll-version of chocolate," Anna blurted out, "Dare to try with me?"

Elsa smiled slowly and let herself be pulled to the main table by her sister where the troll-version-of-(possibly)-chocolate lay.

(*)

The two sisters had tried a little bit of everything at the table by the time Grand Pabbie had called for a toast. Every troll (even the younger ones) took a glass of the red wine that they had seen earlier. Kristoff had offered them glasses insisting that it was tradition to drink it at every celebration.

"What is it?" Anna asked, holding it away from her mouth, nose wrinkling. She had not had much experience with alcohol but each time she even had a glass she'd wake up in the morning with a pounding headache.

"I think...Fhradja. It translates to _no regrets_."

"What's it made of?"

"Um...cranberries, sugar, magic-"

"Magic?" Elsa asked.

"Yeah. Troll magic. It...washes away regrets, which is why it's called Fhradja, I guess. It helps you, sorta, forgive yourself for the things you did that you...regret," he explained awkwardly, "You could call it a fresh start."

"Oh..." Elsa said, looking at the dark red liquid hesitantly, "That...but you don't forget?"

"Not that I know of, no."

"Cool!" Anna said, staring at her goblet with newfound wonder, "And we can drink it, right? I mean, we're not trolls so-"

"Yeah, I've done it thousands of times," he said, "I've got to warn you though, it's pretty addicting."

Suddenly, Grand Pabbie's voice sounded throughout the valley, "We toast, my fellow trolls, humans, and reindeer! I am now 507, and if that isn't a great feat then I don't know what is."

Some trolls laughed.

"We toast, remembering how quick life is and how we should live every moment to it's fullest! May we learn to make up for every moment lost and every moment we're losing."

Anna thought she caught Elsa glance at her but she thought nothing of it.

"We drink today to forgive ourselves! No more living in the past, we look to tomorrow and every day after," the wise troll said, "So enough with these words from this old-now older-fellow, eat! Drink! Be merry!"

The trolls gave a rousing cheer and brought the red drink to their lips. Anna and her group followed shortly after. She gasped, eyes brightening as she swallowed the wine. Her head and heart felt lighter than they ever had been.

"Wow," she said, her voice more than a little airy, "This...this is great! Right, Elsa?"

Her sister stood beside her, eyes wide.

"Elsa?"

"Anna, I..." her sister coughed out. The goblet in her hands fell to the floor, spilling the red wine everywhere. She swooned and fell forward into Anna's arms.

"Elsa!"

"What's wrong? What's going on?" Grand Pabbie cried, wading his way through the crowds, "Oh no..." he murmured once he saw the unconscious Queen.

"What? What's wrong with her?" Anna cried, her eyes more than a little damp.

"She...I've only ever heard of this happening."

"What's wrong Grand Pabbie? Please, tell me, what's wrong with my sister!"

"She regrets too much, she is overwhelmed," he explained hastily, "She cannot forgive herself."

"So what's going to happen to her? Is she-is she going to..." Anna's question hung silently in the air, tears now streaming down her cheeks.

"No, but Anna..." he said, trying to sound as gentle as possible, "Anna, I'm so sorry...you're sister is going somewhere far away. Very, very far away."

"If that's your way of telling me she's going to Heaven then-"

"No, Anna, listen...she's being sent back in time," he explained, pain in his eyes, "She can't forgive her regrets so the magic...it's not giving her a fresh start, it's giving her a second chance."

"Regrets?...oh, Elsa," she said, her knees giving way. She fell to the ground but was careful not to hurt her sister, "I told you you could forgive yourself...where'll she be sent back to?"

"Her moment of biggest regret, as I've heard."

Anna fell silent.

"So what's gonna happen to us?" one troll piped up, "I mean, if she's sent back in time won't that mean that she'll change things?"

"We...we will exist but not as we know it."

"We'll change too?" Kristoff said, incredulously, "You mean...whatever happens to Elsa when she gets sent back in time...affects us too?"

"Yes, I'm so sorry. Some things will stay the same, things that happened before Elsa's biggest regret and some things...cannot be altered, but whether she will change things for good or not...I cannot tell."

"I might not ever meet you, then," Kristoff said, eyes meeting Anna's.

"Kristoff..."

"How long do we have until everything changes, Grand Pabbie?"

"When Elsa wakes up," he whispered, "7 minutes, the troll number of fortune."

"That's enough time then," Kristoff nodded, kneeling down next to Anna, "Anna, no matter what happens, remember that...that you're the bravest person I know. You're the first _person _that I ever l-liked. You're also the kindest and the smartest and..."

"We'll meet again," Anna suddenly said, breaking off Kristoff's sentence.

"What?"

"We'll meet again. Elsa will remember, she'll make sure of it," Anna said quickly, "She knows."

"Knows what, Anna?"

"That...that I...love you." Anna gulped, "That kiss at the docks, that was all real. All of it. I know you pretend that it never happened. I do too, but...there's no time for pretending now so..." she leaned in closer to him, "I'm going to kiss you again now, okay?"

"O-Okay..." Kristoff said, leaning in and closing the gap between their lips.

"I'll see you again," Anna said breathlessly, pulling back, "I promise."

"I'll hold you to that."

"Oh shush," she laughed, cradling her sister's head in her hands, "I'm not the only one who you need to say not-really-goodbye to."

Kristoff nodded, correctly interpreting the look Anna was sending him. He stood and went off to comfort his step-mother, friends, and Sven (though he knew he'd see him again).

"Elsa? I don't know if you can hear me but..." Anna trailed off, running a hand through her sister's hair, "Don't let me ever take you for granted, okay? Remind past-me that you're amazing and wonderful and talented and you deserve everything you never had. I love you, alright? Don't ever let me forget that..." she said, voice cracking as fresh tears began falling from her eyes and onto Elsa's hair.

The last minute ticked by and they, as they knew it, ceased to exist.

* * *

**Author's Note**

*winces* I am so sorry if some parts seemed a bit out-of-character. Really, though, the feedback was surprising. I wasn't even expecting anyone to read this at all! Thank you if you made it this far! Chapter 3 is actually ready to be posted right now but I want to finish Chapter 4 first (no, actually, chapter 4 is done I just want to finish chapter 5). Whoops, I'm rambling again.

This isn't beta'd and if anyone would like to beta it I'll be more than happy to oblige! Thing is though, I don't even know how beta reading works...*shrugs shoulders uncomfortably*


	3. Completely Rewritten

**Second Chances**

**Chapter Three: Completely Rewritten**

It was dark. Very dark. She felt like she was falling then she couldn't breathe and she was drowning and then she began falling again. She thought she could hear someone whispering in her ear but she couldn't quite understand the words.

Lights danced before her eyes and suddenly she felt real again as though everything had focused back to normal.

"Elsa!" a childish voice said. Elsa sighed rolling over a bit, "Wh-what?"

She gasped eyes snapping open as she brought her hand to her mouth. Was that..._her _voice? Why did it sound so...high-pitched? She let out a little scream as she saw a little head with strawberry blond hair tied into pigtails.

"Oh my...Anna?!" she whisper shouted, sitting up quickly.

"Yay, you're awake!"

"What...why..." she felt herself grow a little light-headed as she faced her sister thirteen years younger than when she had last seen her, "Wh-what...time is it?" she said, thoughts racing through her head. It was the only question she could comprehend enough to ask.

"How am I supposed to know?" little Anna pouted, "You're the one good with those things...why are you staring at me like that? Do I have something on my face?" she asked, rubbing her cheeks.

"But...you're 18!"

"Are you alright, Elsie? I'm 5..."

"No, I mean yes, I mean...what?" Elsa's eyes darted around and she almost blacked out again when she realized that this was her old room, the one she shared with Anna before... "Oh my god."

"You're not supposed to say that, it's bad."

"I...what? Sorry but..." she tried to calm her frantic heartbeat as she turned her head to the old Grandfather Clock in the room. 4 in the morning...she turned to the window and her soul suddenly felt as though it weighed a ton. The Aurora Borealis was in the sky and this seemed exactly like the day the _accident_ had occurred. The day that she hurt her sister in a way that split them apart for what she thought would be forever.

"Maybe you should go back to sleep, Elsa," Anna said, cocking her head to the side, "You're acting funny."

Elsa slowly nodded; maybe this was all a dream? A very vivid dream, "Yes...okay..."

Anna grinned at her sister. She pulled herself up Elsa's bed and leaned close, planting a kiss on her sister's cheek as though it were the most normal thing in the world then she scampered off towards her own bed.

"Goodnight, Elsa!"

"Goodnight...Anna."

She closed her eyes anxiously hoping that she would wake up soon.

(*)

"Wake up, my dears!" a voice cried, muffled by a door. Elsa recognized the call as Gertrude's, one of the older helpers of the palace. She yawned, and got up groggily, stretching her arms and rubbing her eyes. She opened them to see a pair of warm blue eyes staring right back at her.

"Mmh, Anna, I've just had the strangest dream..." she said, still too dazed to even question how her sister snuck into her room and why she was suddenly right in front of her.

"Really? What was it about?"

Elsa let out a shriek of surprise as she backed away and faced little 5-year-old Anna, "You're...still..."

"I'm going to come in now, your highnesses," Gertrude called. There was a faint sound of a lock clicking and the door opened, "Breakfast will be served soon and your parents want to talk to you."

"Okay!" Anna said, bouncing off Elsa's bed happily. She began undressing and Elsa looked away, thoughts racing through her head at the speed of light.

She had somehow been sent back through time...she ran through what she remembered. Her last memory was the sweet traditional red wine filling her taste buds with warmth, a feeling of light headed-ness, and someone's voice whispering something to her, but she couldn't recall exactly what. She closed her eyes, deep in thought and let out a gasp of realization. The _wine_. What had Kristoff said about it? It erased regrets...

_Regrets_. What day was it today? If it was the day that she thought it was...

"Gertrude? What day is it today?"

"September 8th, dear."

Of _course_. The day she had regretted the most.

"Elsaaaa, aren't you going to change?" Anna said in a sing-song voice. She was now seated next to Elsa in a pretty, green, day dress, "If we finish early enough we can build a snowman," she whispered in her ear.

Elsa shivered but nodded slowly anyway. Her trail of thought lost. She slowly got off the bed (which was now ridiculously big) and headed towards the bathroom.

"Where're you going?"

"The bathroom."

"Why?"

"To change?" Elsa said, raising an eyebrow.

"Why?"

Oh, she thought. She forgot, she was 8 now. It was perfectly acceptable to be naked in front of people. Her breath hitched when she realized...she was _eight_ now. It was September 8, hours after the worst moment of her life.

She had never struck Anna.

She had never put her sister's life at risk.

Anna _knew_ about her powers. She never forgot and...there would be no door to close anymore. She felt her legs move automatically running towards her little sister. Her arms found Anna's and she tackled her in a strong embrace. She felt tears run down her cheeks. Tears of relief.

"I love you. I love you. I love you..." she repeated the three words over and over again, whispering them into her sister's ear.

"Um, Elsa? I love you too?" Anna said, obviously confused.

Elsa pulled back after a minute, eyes still watery.

"Sorry to interrupt, Miss but your parents are still waiting." Gertrude said, snapping Elsa back into reality.

"My parents? My...parents!" Elsa's eyes widened in realization. She hurriedly put on the blue dress set out for her and grabbed Anna's hand, running out of the room and down the all too familiar hallway.

"C'mon Anna!" Elsa grinned and set off like a child which she realized that she now was.

(*)

"Mama! Papa!" she practically threw herself at her parents who were staring at her with the same expression of confusion as Anna's.

"Elsa...good morning?" her mother said, "Why are you so...elated?"

"She's been acting weird since this morning, Mama!" Anna said.

"I'm sure she's just feeling well, Anna," her father assured her, "After all, today is a special day."

"Why? Is it someone's birthday today?"

"As a matter of fact it is!"

"Ooh, who's?"

Elsa looked up, curiously, taking a seat at the table

"The leader of an ancient troll-tribe," their mother piped in, "We are indebted to him..."

Elsa didn't get to hear the rest of her very much alive mother's sentence because a thought suddenly occurred to her. She was here, she was 8, she was sent back in time. Elsa was sure that this was no dream but she realized that if she was stuck here, she'd have to relive her whole life again and she completely rewrote the most significant moment of her existence. She didn't know what to do from here.

"We're going to the Valley of the Living Rock?" she suddenly said, cutting off whatever her mother was saying.

"Why...yes, Elsa. How did you know?"

"I-I..."

_Great move, idiot. You're not supposed to know this kind of stuff yet._

"-read up on it."

"Oh." the King said, dismissing the matter entirely.

Elsa decided that the best person to talk to about her current situation would be Grand Pabbie, which was good because they'd be visiting the trolls today. Not only was he the wisest person she knew, but the oldest (saying that in the best way possible). He would know what to do.

Elsa breathed sharply, her head pounding. It was only years of rationality and experience in keeping her emotions in check that stopped her from having a full panic attack in the spot. She had just changed _everything _and probably rewrote her whole life. And what would happen to the Anna that she knew? In saving her sister now did that cause her to kill her sister in the future? Elsa shook the thought away-she would get nowhere thinking like that.

"Elsa, calm down." her mother said, snapping her out of her trancelike state. She looked around and gasped, the dining room had turned into a complete winter wonderland. It was snowing heavily and tendrils of ice crawled up the walls.

"Yayyy, now we don't need to go out to build a snowman!" Anna said, grinning. She grabbed Elsa's hand and began making a small ball of snow, "C'mon, Elsa!"

"Ah..." her father said, blinking twice. He looked around, surveying the damage of the room and he nodded like it happened every day, "We'll clean this up later."

He looked at his daughters, eyes softening, "Be ready at around 6, alright little ones? Ask Gwyneth to prepare your best dresses."

"Okay, Papa!"

"Yes, Papa." Elsa said, relishing in the feel of saying those words again. She had her parents back, her sister wasn't knocking at a door that would never open, and she was in the dining room building a snowman.

Maybe this wasn't as bad a situation as she was making it out to be.

* * *

**Author's Note**

*angrily groans* I'm so sorry, I had such a bad case of writer's block and I've never written children before. I don't like this chapter much and it's a bit hastily written. Elsa might seem a bit out-of-character too but I'm giving her a few mental changes because I think of it more in the way of her 21 year old _memories_ transported into her 8 year old body and there's a difference if her 21 year old mind was put into the 8 year old body...if that makes any sense. Anyway, this might be my last chapter for a while because I'm going to be out of town until January...2?

Happy New Year!


	4. Magic Awakening

**Second Chances**

**Chapter Four: Magic Awakening**

Elsa had finished getting herself ready to leave. In the span of 7 hours she had been able to: spend quality time with her sister (which meant raiding the kitchens devoid of any dessert and maybe freezing the prunes accidentally), spend quality time with her parents (by surprising them with her sudden amazing talent at chess), and formulate a plan (which meant going to the Valley of the Living Rock and asking Grand Pabbie what to do).

Strangely, in the process of being sent back through time and into her 8 year old body, some mental changes had been present as well. Elsa found herself more willing to play and cause trouble with Anna than assessing the situation calmly and rationally first (which she was sure she would've done). It had been years since she had had this much fun, after all.

She also noticed that she developed an infatuation with chocolate. No doubt, she liked it enough before but now…it was up to the point that she and Anna had smuggled it into their room and hid it under their bed in a box labelled 'Secret Stash of Chocolate'. It couldn't get any more unsuspicious than that.

Then there was Anna. She didn't even remember how amazing her sister was when she was younger; all she recalled from her childhood was shutting her out along with the rest of the world. She had even almost forgotten the 'secret handshake' that they had made that one boring spring day.

"One, two, three together, clap together, snap together!" she laughed along with Anna who was doing her best to keep up with the quick gestures and movements.

Just as they were getting to the next part someone knocked on their door. Gwyneth entered, not needing permission from the two royals, and set down two beautiful matching dresses.

"Your highnesses, your parents said that you should be ready in a few minutes. You're leaving in a while."

"Okay," Anna said.

Elsa nodded, "Come on, Anna, let's get you dressed up."

"Okay!"

Elsa zipped up her sister's dress and quickly did her own. She forgot how much she missed helping her sister prepare for banquets and balls. This was the first time she did this in what seemed like forever.

"Elsa?" Anna said suddenly. The blonde focused on her sister who was trying to tie a ribbon in her hair. Anna looked at her pleadingly, holding out the white ribbon.

"Oh, alright," Elsa said, walking over to her and carefully arranging her hair. It looked similar to her own hair on coronation day (which was in a few years but had also been a few months ago).

"Wow," the younger girl said, looking in the mirror, "I'm asking you to fix my hair forever!" she said with glee. She gasped excitedly when she saw a small snowflake forming on the side of her head where Elsa's hand was, "Are we gonna build a snowman?"

"What?" the older one said, pulling back. She glanced at her hand nervously—she hadn't meant to do that! Elsa inhaled sharply at the frost forming at her feet and tried to control her sudden spurt of power.

_Conceal, don't feel._

No, that never worked. She tried to remember Anna, the person she loved most about this world. She thought of how great her sister was and how much she loved her. If there was a person worth living for, it was Anna, it would always be Anna. She let go of a breath she didn't realize she was holding when the ice started thawing itself.

"I'm okay," she said to no one in particular. She had just 'fixed' things, she couldn't mess it all up again but she wondered how she had lost control in the first place. She wasn't angry at anything, nor was she feeling any extremely strong emotion but the ice had still stretched up to the walls! And the room was no small one.

Elsa stepped back from her sister who was staring at her, confused. This was so much stronger than what she had remembered. Especially considering that it was unintentional.

"I…"

"Children, we're leaving!" the King's voice sounded. Anna nodded at the door, "Coming, Papa!"

She grabbed Elsa's hand but jerked away just as fast, "Ow…cold."

Elsa looked at her own hands, then back at her sister's which were red from the ice forming around her palm, "I-I'm sorry."

"'s okay, it was an accident…" Anna said, wiping her hands on her dress. She ran to the door and opened it.

"Ready?"

"Yeah!" her little sister laughed, "Will there be chocolate? Ooh, and cake?"

"Maybe. We don't know yet, darling," their father replied, "It's a troll party, we don't know their customs. There might not be any dessert at all."

"What's a party with no dessert?" Anna pouted but went out anyway.

"Elsa, dear, are you coming?"

"What? Y-yeah," she said, stunned. Her voice quivered childishly though she was trying to stay calm and composed. Her feet carried her across the room, then further, then further until they were outside the gates where a sled waited for them.

Anna hopped in excitedly, her mother followed and she found herself lifted off the ground by her father who went in last.

"Hyah!" shouted a man sitting in front of them. He twitched his hand and the horses began trotting at a casual pace.

"When'll we get there?" Anna said, trying to shift seats with her mother so that she would be beside Elsa.

"Dear, it's too dangerous to stand now, we're already moving. If you wanted to be beside your sister you should've done that earlier," her mother replied, putting a hand on her child's lap, "We'll be arriving in 30 minutes."

"What? But the party will have started then!" Anna cried, dramatically slinging an arm on her forehead.

"Look on the bright side;" Elsa said quietly, "We'll have to wait a shorter time before desserts are served."

"If there are desserts at all," their father teased.

Anna ignored his comment though, "Ooh, good point. I like the bright side."

"Me too." Elsa smiled. Too engrossed in the conversation, none of them noticed the trail of ice led by the sled.

* * *

**Author's Note**

Your reviews were so cute that I couldn't help but grin. This chapter was actually ready for posting a long time ago but I had no internet connection. I'm also sorry, this one's a bit shorter than my average but I'll make it up to you in the next one (which was really fun to write!). Elsa's growing power is awakening but will she be able to control it?

I also recommend you guys to listen to the outtake 'We Know Better' which features little Elsa and Anna and it's really cute! It's where that handshake bit came from. Anyway, enough talking. Onward!


	5. The Lost Boy

**Second Chances**

**Chapter Five: The Lost Boy**

"Uh oh, Sven, I think we're lost," Kristoff murmured, looking around the unfamiliar wood around him. His reindeer, and best friend, simply stared at him.

"Where do we go from here?" he said, looking around nervously, "You don't think they'll go searching for us, do you?"

Sven shook his head in an almost human-like manner.

"Well that's just great," the little boy said, making an exasperated 'humph' noise, "Let's just go—woah!" he pulled Sven to the side as a horse and sled trotted past them. He gasped when he saw the ice trailing the travelers.

"Look, Sven! Ice!" he said, "Maybe they'll know how to get back."

The two followed the steady clip-clopping of the horse.

"Woah!" Kristoff said suddenly as the sled came to an abrupt stop. Something that could be classified as music was playing in the distance. He jumped off his makeshift sled and pulled Sven into a dark patch so that the passengers wouldn't see them.

"Shh," he whispered, watching as two adults got off followed by two children. By the sound of their voices he could tell that they were girls…probably. He peeked his head out as much as he could and gasped when he got a glimpse of the valley beneath them.

Dozens of rocks—no, trolls—were dancing, drinking, eating…partying? The family of four stepped into the clearing and he moved in closer which was a mistake on his part because the moment he stepped into the faintest bit of light he felt strong hands grip his shoulders and lift him high into the air. Kristoff struggled against the hands, yelling out for help. Was it a bandit?

"What'chu doing here, kid?"

"Sven, run!" he said, but the reindeer stayed loyally by his side and was attempting to hit the person carrying him with his antlers.

"Ow, what the-?" a gruff voice spoke and Sven was hurled to the side as the stranger kicked him.

"Get your hands off my reindeer!" growled Kristoff. He opened his eyes wide and bit the stranger's hand.

"Ow!" the stranger said, dropping him. He landed on the ground on all fours and looked around wildly. The family of four had noticed the commotion and they were all staring at him.

"I-I…" he tried to say, backing off.

"I was jus' thinkin' he was some sorta bandit, Your Majesty. I meant no harm!" the man who had picked him up said, holding his hands up.

"Your job is to escort us, sir, and not to protect us," another man said in a harsh voice.

Kristoff's eyes widened. Did the stranger just call the other man 'Your Majesty'? He observed that, yes, the family did have luxurious clothing and…it was marked with the seal of Arendelle. He was in the presence of the _royal family_.

"Ah…yes yer Majesty, 'm apologizes," he stuttered.

"And you, what are you doing here?" the King said, eyeing Kristoff.

"No need to use that tone of voice, Harold," the woman beside him, probably the Queen, whispered. Suddenly, Kristoff was shoved to the side by a massive amount of fur.

"Shh, Sven! Now's not the time!" he said, scrambling to get up.

"Sven?" he heard a little voice say. He looked up and saw the young Princess. Now which one was she? He was not familiar with Arendelle but even he knew of the two young and beloved royals. Elsa and Anna—the (supposedly) closest siblings in the land.

"Y-yes, that's the name of, um, my reindeer...Your Highness," he added hastily. Kristoff bowed low. He briefly wondered why the princess had light hair when the rest of the royal family had darker tones.

"Oh…" the girl said, looking at him with wide eyes.

"What's your name, child?" the Queen said.

"Uh…K-Kristoff."

"Alright, Kristoff, were you following us?"

"N-no…yes," he said sheepishly, "But only because I was lost! I mean, I lost my group somewhere in the forest and I saw the ice and I thought that maybe—"

"Ice?"

"Your…sled had a trail of ice," he said, wondering whether he should go on. The young princess who had spoken to him let out a little squeak and frantically turned around. Kristoff momentarily wondered how she could make an act of haste still look graceful. The king and queen glanced at one another and the other princess just looked confused.

"You said you were lost," the King suddenly stated, "Who exactly is your group?"

"Um…the ice deliverers. The…uh, ones who deliver ice, Your Majesty…" he said.

"Yes, yes, I know who the ice deliverers are," the King said making Kristoff blush with embarrassment, "They're easy enough to find. The North group, I assume?"

"Y-yeah."

"Alright, they'll be arriving with a new shipment in a week or so. We can find your group back, then. For now you may reside…" he looked at his wife questioningly.

The Queen nodded, "In one of the guest rooms in the castle. It's not a problem," she said, smiling at him kindly. Kristoff nodded, "Alright. Thank you, Your Majesty…"

"Our escort can take you back to the castle in the meantime—"

"Oh, Harold, don't be like that. You can join us," the Queen said.

"Join…where?" he said hesitantly.

"There's a dinner with the trolls tonight, at the Valley of the Living Rock. It's right below us. Would you like to join?" she said. All of a sudden, the other princess with the reddish hair piped up, "Can we stop talking and go nooow?"

The King and Queen shared a look and nodded at their daughter. The silver haired child glanced up, snapping back to reality.

"Aren't you coming?" the red-head asked, turning around to face him. He blushed, "Uh, yeah, Your Highness," the words sounded funny, even to him, "C'mon, Sven."

"You can call me Anna," the girl said, slowing down so that she could pat Sven, "I like your pet."

"His name's Sven," Kristoff said automatically, "I-I mean, thank you."

Anna giggled, "Hi, Sven."

The reindeer snorted and nuzzled up to the girl. Kristoff gave his friend a look, _what are you doing?_

_I like her._

Kristoff rolled his eyes and followed the other three towards the Valley of Living Rock. He couldn't help but get a sense of excitement when he realized that he was actually attending a _dinner_ with the actual royal family. It did seem like a nice change.

"So you're an ice deliverer, huh?" Anna said, grinning at him widely. He wondered why it was so easy for this girl to smile.

"Yeah," he said, puffing up his chest a bit.

"Wow that's…n-_ice_," she said, bursting into a fit of giggles. Kristoff tried to hold back another eye-roll, "Uh, thanks."

"It's _snow _problem!" Anna said, laughing even harder. Kristoff sent Sven a look and he silently thought to himself, _this is going to be a long night_.

* * *

**Author's Note**

I had lots'a fun writing this chapter. Little Kristoff is so fun to work with! Plus, you get some winter puns. Oh, you might want to lower your expectations for Chapter 6 being posted soon because I plan to finish Chapter 7 and 8 before updating. Chapter 6 is done, yes, but I like being one step (or two) ahead. The only problem? Complete writer's block.

Any suggestions for how this will go along? Every suggestion will be filed and definitely considered! So now's your chance to have what you want to have in this story-comment your suggestions! I'm never using the word suggestions again...oops.


	6. Time Magic

**Second Chances**

**Chapter Six: Time Magic**

"Anna…that's not chocolate," Elsa said, eyeing Anna warily as she reached for the plate.

"How d'you know that?" her sister said, stubbornly taking a piece of the dish and stuffing it in her mouth only to spit it out moments later, "This isn't chocolate."

"Told you so," Elsa murmured quietly. She frantically glanced towards the big stage-rock in the center of the valley. Grand Pabbie stood there, greeting visitors and chatting with fellow trolls. The crowd around him was too packed that she wasn't able to get through and so she was waiting it out. This gave her the chance to worry about other things.

What was she to do with Kristoff? She hadn't given him a spare thought about him until she had encountered the boy only an hour ago. She barely knew anything about his past except that he was raised by the trolls (which she might have ruined a bit) and that he was abandoned by his parents a long time ago.

She knew that he was going to be staying at the castle until the ice harvesters arrived but wouldn't that mean that he would have been raised by _them _instead of his troll step-mother? And in meeting Anna too early did that change their future relationship? For all she knew, once the ice harvesters took him in again, they would never see him again. Elsa groaned and placed a hand on her head, pacing around in a circle. All this time chain reaction thinking gave her a headache.

She scanned the valley and saw Anna conversing excitedly with one of the younger trolls. Her parents were dining as prim and proper as they always were. Kristoff and Sven were off in one corner, looking around shyly. After a second thought, she decided to head towards them.

"Hello," she said. Kristoff jumped and faced her, eyes wide. He bowed, blond hair touching the floor, "Y-your Highness."

"You can call me Elsa, remember?" _Wait, he didn't have anything to remember. Not this early in their timeline! _"I mean, you can call me Elsa."

"Alright, Your Hi—Elsa," he slipped. Some things never changed.

"What's your name?" she said, feigning ignorance.

"Kristoff Bjorgman," he said, confidence building, "And this is my reindeer, Sven."

"Hello, Sven," she briefly acknowledged the animal who was nuzzling his head into Kristoff's shoulder, paying her no mind.

"Say hi, Sven," she heard Kristoff whisper. The reindeer looked up and the two seemed to have a telekinetic conversation until the animal backed off and nuzzled Elsa's hand sharply.

"Sorry," Kristoff apologized, "He's doesn't talk to people much. Except me, I mean."

"Mmhm," she said, nodding. She began focusing on her task at hand, "So, Kristoff, you'll be staying at the castle for a week, yes?"

"If…if that's okay with you guys, I mean. Me and Sven can always find our way back…" he trailed off, "I think."

"It's no problem; Mama and Papa are alright with it. We have more than enough spare rooms, anyway," she said. Kristoff glanced at Sven warily.

"What's the matter?"

"Uh-um…I...we're sort of, er, used to sleeping outside so you don't need to-to give us a spare room," he said. Elsa could tell from a mile away that he was lying. There was something else bothering him, "No, truthfully, what's the problem?"

"I…uh…"

"Elsa, come over here! Your mother and I will introduce you to Grand Pabbie," she heard her father cry.

"Sorry, I have to go," Elsa said, "It was a pleasure talking to you though…" she tried not to add the word 'again' at the end. Walking away, she thought she heard Kristoff murmur something about royalty talking funny. She realized that she was speaking to him in a way that was definitely acceptable for a Queen but not for a young, happy 8 year old.

Nothing to worry about for now, though. It wasn't like that would change much. Kristoff would think that she had a wide vocabulary for her age, not very suspicious. She strolled over to her parents, taking much longer than she was used to because of her short legs. She had finally gotten to their side and once they had found Anna they headed towards the big stage-rock.

The crowd had cleared up and there were only a few trolls left. Elsa caught sight of Grand Pabbie who was looking around sagely.

"Grand Pabbie!" their father called.

"It's the King!" a troll exclaimed.

"Make way, make way!"

And soon there was a small pathway to get to the elder troll who was staring at the royal family, eyes twinkling but Elsa thought she saw a look of confusion etched on his face once Pabbie's eyes met hers.

"Hello, my friends, hello!" Grand Pabbie said, his arms wide open, "It's great to see you again."

"You as well, Grand Pabbie," the king said, embracing the old troll, "Happy birthday."

"Thank you," the troll said, he looked at Elsa and Anna, "These are your children?"

"Yes."

"They're both very gifted," he said, "I sense magic in one of them though," he glanced at Elsa, "Born with the powers of snow and ice, I assume."

The king looked surprised, "Yes, how did you know?"

"The ice forming on the ground is some sort of a giveaway," he said, chuckling, but then his eyes suddenly had a serious, dark look about them, "But that is not all her magic, yes?"

Elsa's heart quickened. What did Grand Pabbie mean by that?

"It is, actually, Grand Pabbie. At least, all that we know of."

"Hmm…" the troll said, thoughtfully, "Very nice that you can come. Go on then, eat! Drink! Be merry!" he said, but looked at Elsa, "You have something to tell me, child?"

"I-I…" she stammered, looking around. This conversation needed a more private area.

"Alone, of course."

The king glanced at Grand Pabbie questioningly but didn't comment. He took his wife's hand and Anna settled on riding on his shoulders.

"What about Elsa?" Anna said, looking back.

"Later, dear."

"Hm…okay!"

Elsa waited until they were out of earshot when she caught Grand Pabbie's eye, "Hello."

"Hello yourself, though I sense this isn't the first time we've met. Not for you."

"How did you know?" Elsa said, surprised.

"The question is, how are you able to keep your time magic a secret?" Grand Pabbie said, curiosity in his voice, "It is not an easy one to hide. Especially from your family."

"Time magic?" Elsa asked, "No, no Grand Pabbie. I don't have any other magic other than the one I was born with. At least, I think so."

"My dear, you are surrounded with particles of time," Grand Pabbie said, "Surely you must have travelled through it?" he spoke as though he thought that Elsa already knew what he was talking about.

"That's what I'm trying to talk to you about, Grand Pabbie."

"Then explain, my dear, explain!"

"I…it's a long story, and I don't know if I can explain a lot of what happened," she said, calmly, "But I'll try to start from the beginning."

Grand Pabbie looked at her expectantly.

"It began on your birthday 13 years from now, actually…"

* * *

**Author's Note**

You guys are spoiling me so much that I was _disappointed _with the feedback the last chapter had. I'm so sorry. Also, I'm running into a dead end and quickly losing inspiration for this fanfic. If the chapters abruptly stop...well, I apologize now. Plus, school's starting and...I'm just not in the mood for anything. Seriously, just the thought of going back to the 8th grade classroom makes me want to lie down and do nothing forever.

Chapter 7 is ready, your suggestions have been filed. My favorite was the interlude thing and I'll definitely try to include that if I don't lose the vibe early enough. I'm just tired, I don't know.


	7. The Library

**Second Chances**

**Chapter Seven: The Library**

"And now, it seems as though my powers have gotten stronger. Stronger than I remember them at this age, at least," Elsa finished breathlessly, "Oh, Grand Pabbie, I don't know what to do. I have so many questions—what happened to the Anna in the future? Can I get back? What do I do from now?"

"Slow down, child," Grand Pabbie said, resting a hand on her head, "You've been through a lot."

"I'm not lying."

"I know, Elsa, I believe you. I really do. But," he said, "There is little I can do. You must let life take its natural path from now on."

"But my questions—"

"-Will be answered in time. I cannot answer them. I can only say that you continue living, using your memories from the future to guide your path now. Do not make the same mistakes you have made. This is a blessing, child!"

Elsa scowled, the expression looking strange on her childish face. She hated that word, sometimes: blessing. Her powers were a 'blessing' so why did they hurt people? Her parents called her a 'blessing' so why did they sit and do nothing as they watched their two daughters grow further and further apart?

Elsa mentally composed herself, the angry expression drifting off her face slowly but the feeling burned on, "Is there anyone I can talk to about this?"

"I—other than me, you mean?"

_You're no help at all, _she thought bitterly.

"Yes. Other than you."

"There might be," the troll said. Elsa felt as though her frustration could trigger a blizzard, annoyed by the sage troll's vague answers but she kept the powers at bay as best as she could. Already, ice had formed around her feet and was slowly stretching further.

Suddenly, she felt a strong hand on her shoulder. Instinctively jerking away, she looked up to face her father.

"We're leaving, Elsa," he said, then eyed Grand Pabbie, "I take it you're done talking?"

"No."

"Yes," the elder troll said. Then he looked at Elsa grimly, speaking in a whisper so that only she could hear, "Live life carefully, child. Do not go searching for the answers to your questions to anyone other than me—it is dangerous out there. More dangerous than you think."

_You barely answered any of them, _she thought.

In a softer tone he said, "I'm sorry, but that is all I can say to you. Let life take its natural course and conceal your past."

Elsa cringed at the word conceal.

"Goodbye. We will meet again, but not as soon as you think," he said, looking up and bidding farewell to the rest of the royal family. Anna was already asleep, cradled in her mother's arms. Kristoff and Sven were standing shyly behind the king.

"Let's go, Elsa," her father said as they trailed the path back to the sled.

Elsa could only think of how wrong Grand Pabbie was. He was trying to lead her to the path of ignorance. Ignorance was what caused her to shut the door in the first place and she dared not go there again. She had to know. He had mentioned that there was someone else who could help her—but who?

The stars had come out long ago; she wouldn't be able to research tonight. She smiled grimly, if she needed answers the library would be the place to head to. She'd check on it in the morning. Her eyes drooped a bit; the steady clip-clopping of the horse was strangely comforting. Her head lowered to the side and onto her father's lap.

She felt warm hands cradle her head and she fell asleep, ignoring the whine of her troubles. Just for this once.

(*)

"Elsa, psst!" her little sister's voice carried over to her. Elsa sighed, opening her eyes to see sunlight streaming through the windows. It was morning.

"What do you want, Anna?"

"Let's visit Kristoff and Sven!"

"Kristoff and Sven?" Elsa said, yawning.

"Yeah, they're here in the castle! Now it won't be just us!"

Elsa slowly got up from her bed, yesterday replayed through her mind and her eyes snapped open, now wide awake.

"I—" she said, "I have to go to the library."

"What, why?" Anna's nose wrinkled, "It's no fun there. And Kai says it's haunted!"

"Haunted?" Elsa said, eyes widening. She shook the thought off. The library had been her favorite place in the castle, her secret hiding spot since Anna never entered. She'd never seen anything out of the ordinary, "No, it isn't."

"I'll come with you then!"

"Anna," she said, knowing that her sister could distract her, "You can't."

As much as she wanted to spend the day escapade-ing with Anna (and perhaps Kristoff and Sven) there were more important matters at hand.

"What? Why? I promise to help!"

"I…" how could she refuse those pleading blue eyes? "Fine, but you have to promise you will."

"Pinky promise!" she said, holding out her hand. Elsa hesitated before locking her pinky with her sister's. She nodded, determined and took Anna's hand as the two raced down the castle halls and into the library.

The library did look like a haunted place with its medieval style and tainted glass windows. Bookshelves lined the walls with thousands upon thousands of books. It was silent and seemed a bit foreboding but this never bothered Elsa. This was how it had always been.

"Sooo, what are we looking for?" Anna said, her voice echoing across the room.

"A…book."

"I think I got that, sis. I mean what book?"

Elsa blinked. Perhaps she hadn't thought this through properly. She didn't even know what to search for. A book with information on the other creature (other than the trolls) that could help her—that was what she needed.

"Maybe…maybe a book about…" she racked her mind, "Magical creatures."

"What do I do with the book once I find it?"

"Just find all the books about magical creatures and put them in a pile…on the desk," she said.

"That sounds bo-ring," Anna complained.

Elsa sighed then an idea occurred to her, causing her to smile deviously, "Oh, I know! We can make it a game. Whoever can find the most books wins…some chocolate from the secret chocolate stash!"

Anna gasped, "No, really?"

Before she could even reply, Anna was off, skimming through the rows upon rows of bookshelves muttering to herself. Elsa smiled at her sister fondly before finding her own corner and searching.

(*)

"I win! I win!" Anna grinned after she finished counting the mountain of books on her end, "26 books!"

Elsa smiled softly, not bothering to tell her that she had collected 28, "Good for you."

"We can share the choc'late if you want."

"No, no, it's fine. Thank you for helping me. You can go now, though," she said.

"No, I want to help! You're going to do something with these books; why else would you look for them huh? So tell me, what're you going to do?" Anna said, excitedly, "Burn them? Build something with them? For sure, you're not going to—"

"I'm going to read them."

"Oh." Anna said, spirits dampening, "But…why?"

"I-I'm looking for something. A magical creature."

"Why?"

Elsa didn't reply.

"Why?"

Silence was the only answer she got.

"Uh, okay…what magical creature?"

"That's the problem, Anna, I don't know," Elsa sighed, "That's why I've got to do this myself. You were never one for reading and you don't know what I'm looking for."

"But I can he—"

"No, Anna, you can't!" the older one cried, losing her patience. Anna's eyes widened and she shrunk back, "O-okay…I'll just…go play by myself now."

Elsa stayed quiet, glaring at the wall. She refused to look at her sister's pleading face. Sometimes she forgot how stubborn Anna was when she was younger.

"Bye," she said, leaving the room. Elsa bit her lip impatiently, grabbing the first book on the table: _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_. She skimmed through the first few pages, not aware that her anger earlier had hurt her sister in a way that she swore she'd never do again.

* * *

**Author's Note**

*raises hand triumphantly* I finished Chapter 8! Thank you for all your suggestions and comments! School begins tomorrow so you can expect updates on a less regular basis (though they weren't regular in the first place).

To _Anna Marie Raven_, your suggestion on making a conflict of some sort helped me a whole lot on Chapter 8.

To the anonymous _Guest, _who ever said that the pairing would be Kristoff and Anna? The pairing isn't even the main idea of the story.

Sorry for the long author's note, I just have a lot to say c:


	8. Lady on the Throne

**Second Chances**

**Chapter Eight: Lady on the Throne**

Anna sighed, her shoulders slumped and she wore her face-of-absolute-boredom. There was no way Elsa could read all those books on her own! And the way she shouted at her…she sniffed a bit. Elsa never talked to her that way before. Maybe she was just feeling bad today. Yeah, that was it!

Walking around, she wondered what she would do today. With her sister busy, she wouldn't be able to build a snowman today. Her eyes lit up when she remembered the little blond boy (Kristopher, was it?) and his pet reindeer. She could play with them today!

"Kristoff!" Anna called; the halls echoing her voice back eerily. Which room had he been assigned? Perhaps somewhere in the-oh, right!-West Wing. She began moving towards that direction but got lost quickly.

She looked around, trying to make sense of where she was "Um…Kai? Gwyneth?"

She gasped, backing away as she saw a tall shadowy figure across the halls. Was it a ghost? A phantom? She had to warn Elsa! But the phantom was gaining on her. She turned around swiftly and ran as fast as she could but her legs couldn't carry her quick enough. A gloved hand clamped her mouth before she could even scream for her parents.

_No! _she thought, struggling. She saw the stranger's other hand rise up, he held a white handkerchief which was held to her nose. Anna held her breath as long as she could but after a few seconds she couldn't take it anymore. She breathed in a sickly sweet smell and her world faded to black.

(*)

When Anna awoke, she was in a small, dingy room. The walls were worn and the fading white paint was chipped in all kinds of places. A single window illuminated the room.

"Where am I?" she called out, "Mama? Papa?"

"This room is magic proof so don' even think about usin' it," a man entered the room. A tall stranger with dark hair. His eyes looked almost black in the dim lighting.

Anna's heart rate quickened and she backed away until she hit the wall, "Wh-who are you?"

"The question is, missus, who're you? Who're you really?" he said. His voice was high and ill-fitting for his frame. He had a foreign accent…Scottish? Anna didn't know.

"I'm…" she considered lying but then thought that maybe, if he knew who she really was, he might be threatened enough to leave her alone. She puffed up her chest and said with her most confident tone, "I am Princess Anna of Arendelle! If you don't let me go, uh, right this…now! If you don't let me go right now, um…my father! My father, the king of Arendelle? Yeah, him, he will hear about this! And my mother, the Queen? Yeah, and my sister, Elsa who can freeze your butts right off!"

There was complete silence for a few moments before the man burst out in high pitched laughter.

"What?" Anna said, frowning. It sounded like a pretty good threat to her.

The man abruptly stopped and stared at her. He got down on one knee and leaned in closer, looking Anna straight in the eye, "Kid, I don' care about yer position. I just want my pay but the boss insists tha' I have t'do the talkin' to you."

"The boss?"

"Yeah, no, whatever. Jus' tell me, kid, how'd you get the magic?"

"The…what?" Anna said incredulously, "I don't have any magic! If you want magic you have to ask—"

"Stop lyin', kid! It won't do you no good here. I don' know what the boss means but she says you got some time magic on you. How'd you do it?"

"I don't have any time magic!"

"The boss says you do!"

"Oh, and I take it that whatever the boss says is the gos…gospel…gospel truth!" she said triumphantly. She waved her hands in the air, trying to mimic Elsa's graceful movements, "See? No magic! Take me home now!"

The man sighed, his eyes caught the light and Anna saw they were a light brown, "Kid, I don't want to hurt you, 'kay? But if you don' tell the truth and only the truth here, you'll get in big trouble. You think abou' it and once you're ready t'give me real answers then you tell me."

"Wait, where are you going?" Anna cried, watching the man walk away, "You can't just leave me here! My family will wonder where I am!"

The man chuckled, "Oh, I assure you, kid. They'll never find you here. I'll be back in a while fer dinner, though it's a bit less…fancy than those at th' palace," he smirked, "You'll manage."

"No!" Anna yelled as the door slammed shut, a lock clicking slowly after. She banged on the door crying out for anyone, _anyone_ to open it. She eventually gave up and huddled in the corner of the dim room, her head rested on her knees. She rubbed her eyes and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

(*)

"She ain't sayin' a word, boss!" David said, bowing, "She keeps insistin' that she did no magic of the sort."

The lady on the throne tutted, a sharp clicking sound that echoed the room. She sat on a throne made of obsidian but her face was masked with violet linen, "She is an idiot, then."

"She doesn' seem to be lyin', miss." He said, shrugging his shoulders. There was a pregnant pause before the lady spoke again.

"Are you questioning my judgment, David, dear?" her voice had morphed to a sickly sweet tone, dripping with sarcasm.

"N-no, miss! 'f course not!" he said quickly, holding his hands over his chest protectively, "I meant nothin' of it!"

"Hm," she said, running a hand down her dress. She was wearing luxurious clothes, silk and velvet draped her body with jewels of enormous value but only her hands were visible through the cloth, "I know you didn't."

A wild cackle filled the room, "I know you didn't."

"She wouldn' t-talk though," he said quietly, "I don' think she will."

"Oh, I will make her. She _will _tell me," the lady said, "You are dismissed, David."

David bowed once more and left the room as fast as his legs could carry him. His heart pounded and sweat caked his forehead. He was but a servant in her court, a man who could be killed without anybody fussing. The Lady would not hesitate to execute him and so he valued his life above all else.

"'m gonna make that girl talk," he muttered to himself as he walked down the hall towards the kitchens where supper was already being prepared.

* * *

**Author's Note**

*tim burton instrumentals* What's this? What's this? Two chapters in a day? What's this? What's this? It's okay anyway!

School starts tomorrow so as a little treat I present to you Chapter 8. If you thought Anna would get away scott-free then I suppose this proves you wrong! Bwa ha ha ha! And it seems that her kidnappers think she's got the magic. Bit of a screw up there. And who's the lady on the throne? Keep reading to find out!


	9. Plan A

**Chapter Nine: Plan A**

Elsa groaned and slumped on the table, her head pounding. Tears had been shed, punches had been thrown, composure had been lost and she still hadn't found a single scrap of useful information. Not a single monster or demon or spirit had the powers of _time travel_. Not as far as she knew, though.

Frost caked the chair and ice was forming at a steady pace on the table. She had tried thawing it earlier but the stress had stopped her from focusing and thinking straight. She decided to just let the ice be – it wasn't like she needed to hide it anymore.

"Elsa, have you seen your sister?"

She immediately sat up, eyes focusing on her father.

"Anna?"

"Yes, have you seen Anna?"

Elsa frowned, getting off her chair. She was thankful for the distraction.

"She was here a few hours ago but she could've gone anywhere since then. I'd recommend the portrait room or maybe she's playing with Kristoff and Sven," she replied in a formal tone. Her father shot her a look of surprise, "The portrait room? What makes you say that?"

"Well, sometimes she talks to – oh," she said, realizing her mistake, "Never mind. Maybe she's with Kristoff."

"She isn't, Elsa. Your mother and I asked earlier and we hoped she'd be with you."

"Oh," Elsa said, instinctively backing away when her father moved closer, "She should just be somewhere around the castle, then."

The king nodded then his eyes widened when he noticed the mountain of books stacked at the side. He raised his eyebrows questioningly. Elsa fidgeted, "It's…a hobby."

He seemed to accept the answer. She watched with careful eyes as her father left the library, but the doors opened before he could even get to them.

A member of the royal guard stood, a nervous expression plastered on his face.

"What is it?" the king said.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness," he said, bowing quickly, "Princess Anna is not in the castle."

(*)

_Why is this window so high? _Anna thought, jumping one last time before collapsing on the floor of the room, arms spread out in total exhaustion. Once she had regained her breath, she sat up and huddled in the corner of the room where it was warmest.

Ignoring the pain in her legs she tried to think of methods to escape. If only she were Elsa, she could've just frozen the scary stranger and made a run for it. She stood up slowly and walked over to the door. She gave it a good kick, "Stupid door."

Returning to her corner, she surveyed her surroundings. The sun was setting and it would be dark soon. She gulped. There were no candles. They wouldn't leave her alone in the dark would they?

"Anybody?" she yelled, "Please let me out?"

No reply.

"Please?" she tried again.

Still no reply.

Anna sighed and tucked her legs together, trying not to show the empty room her tears. _The walls had eyes, _Elsa had once told her. She shivered and covered her face, desperately trying to fall asleep. Maybe once she woke up, her family would be there to comfort her and tell her that this was just a terrible dream.

(*)

"Oi, wake up kid!" a loud voice rattled Anna's ears. She jolted up and saw the man who had entered the room a few hours ago.

"Sup's ready," he said, shoving a bowl of gray mush into her hands. A glass of water was placed at the other end of the room, "You ready to answer the miss's questions yet?"

"I already answered, didn't I?" Anna said, setting the bowl aside. She wondered what the gray stuff was for, "I don't have any magic. If you want magic you have to—"

"Yeah, yeah, keep talkin' lies missus but I said earlier it ain't gettin' you nowhere."

"I'm not lying!" she said, frustrated, "I don't lie! You're not supposed to lie!"

"Well then why're you doin' it?" he said, then motioned to the bowl, "You gonna eat that, kid?"

A look of realization dawned upon Anna's face, "That's _food_?"

"It ain't as bad as it looks, trust me," he said, "Jus' don't starve yourself…the mistress wants you in full condition when she talks to you."

"The mistress? Is that your boss?"

"Yeah, y'can call it that. You'll be speakin' to her later so you better prepare."

"Is she nice?"

"Ah – wait, what?" the man said, nose wrinkling.

"Your boss, is she nice?"

"No," the man said instantly, "So you better prepare yourself. It's a whole lot dif'rent than how your servants treat you in th'castle," he rolled his eyes mockingly; "I'll be fetchin' you in an hour. Be done with sup by then."

Anna frowned and her eyes shifted and focused on the half open door behind the man. She quickly thought of a plan. She raised her foot and stomped it on the ground, "You're not the boss of me!" she yelled, pausing dramatically for effect then kicking his knee.

"What the he—"

Anna made a dash for the door. She ran across the dimly lit hallway, her heart pounding. It was nearly night-time and there were little to no candles. If she did escape, she needed light. She grabbed a lantern on the wall and kept running, trying to stop the light from going out.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon," she whispered to herself and grinned when she saw a wooden door. She tried opening it and mentally whooped when it opened.

She only covered a few meters before she felt a hand grasp her shoulder. Anna gasped and looked up.

"Well, well, well, where are you going little sorceress?" a woman-like voice sounded, muffled by the violet linen covering her face. Anna screamed for help but the woman covered her mouth with a delicate hand.

"Shush! There will be no drawing of attention."

The young princess looked back and saw a silhouette of Arendelle. It wasn't too far! Her father would probably send some people to go looking for her, but they wouldn't know where to go!

She bared her teeth and bit the woman's hand, quickly forming a plan. Once she was free, she pulled off her shoe and threw it as far as she could (which, unfortunately, wasn't very far).

"What did you do that for?" the woman hissed, grabbing Anna by the sleeve of her dress and pulling her back into the cavern. Anna fought back as hard as she could but the woman had a firm grip and didn't let her go.

They kept walking and walking and walking until they faced two stone doors.

_Bit cliché, isn't that? _Anna thought. As nervous as she was, she had to admit that this did seem like one of the stories in the adventure books Mama read her every night. She only had to hope that some knight in shining armor would come and save her just like in the story.

* * *

**Author's Note**

Little Anna doesn't know yet that you don't wait for your knight-in-shining-armor, you escape your castle and go save yourself. I can't believe I finally finished Chapter 10. It's been difficult, especially with finals returning and sudden homework. Plus, I've been studying more!

Now, let me explain a thing: I don't like OC's, especially for this fandom, but these OC's play a specific role in this story that can't be fulfilled without them so I hope you see them as part of the plot and "real" enough to be in the story.

Thank you for all the positive feedback! I'm not a very experienced author and I have very little experience in story writing so your comments mean a lot to me. Have a fantastic life! Next update will come in...around 2 weeks or less?


	10. Into the Darkness

**Second Chances**

**Chapter Ten: Into the Darkness**

"Mama! Papa! You have to let me come!" Elsa said, her temper rising.

"No, Elsa, it's safer here."

"But _I can help_!" she insisted.

"You're too young, Elsa!"

"No, I'm not, Mama!" she said trying to get on the sled but losing her balance. She reached out her hand and caught her mother's arm. Her mother pulled back immediately and Elsa watched in horror as ice crept up her arm.

"I-I'm sorry! I can thaw it," Elsa said, panic building up but her father pulled her back.

"Elsa, you've done enough damage as it is, haven't you? Now stay _here_," the king said, anger apparent in his voice. Elsa backed away and her father nodded. She watched as her parents drove off, accompanied by choice members of the royal guard.

Ignoring the guilt rising up in her throat, she reviewed the current situation. Anna had been kidnapped. It was all her fault. There were no clues on who had kidnapped her. It was all her fault…she rubbed her eyes, stopping the tears from falling.

Her parents wouldn't even let her join them. She forgot that adults never really took children seriously. Even her own parents were guilty of that. Suddenly, an idea came to her. Tracing the castle to the west wing she found the room she was looking for.

She twisted the handle and stepped in, not bothering to knock. The young blond boy and his reindeer were wrestling playfully in one corner, ignorant of the current situation.

"You said you had a sled?"

(*)

Anna blinked, trying to get a focus on her surroundings. This room was a whole lot bigger than the one she was trapped in moments ago. It was around the size of the room she and Elsa shared at the castle but much more lavishly designed.

"So, tell me, princess," the woman's voice sounded, "What powers do you possess? Remember, there's no point in lying here. I know when you're lying."

"I don't have any magic powers," Anna said, her eyes hardening. The woman laughed, a terrible sound that echoed the room. The young princess gulped as the woman leaned in closer.

"…oh."

"Oh?" Anna asked.

"You're not lying," the woman raised her hands in the air, "You're not lying! So why is it there are time particles all around you, huh? Why is it!"

"Time particles? What?" Anna said, taking a few steps back.

"A disturbance in time! There was one! Exactly 13 years into the future but also 2 days ago in the present! You could not have caused it, you have no clue but you are surrounded with time particles! Who? Who? Who?" the woman said impatiently, her voice roaring like thunder.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" the young princess said, fearfully.

"Of course you don't, child! You're an idiot! Have you been in touch with _anyone _who has been acting strangely? Someone with magic?"

"I – " Anna said. She blinked once and then shook her head.

"Now you lie! Tell me, child, who is it? I must know!" the woman grabbed her dress again but let go abruptly. Her voice was smug and Anna wondered if it were possible to _hear _a smirk. "Oh."

Anna looked up, eyes widening.

"Oh."

"What?" she said, "Why, oh?"

"Your sister."

(*)

"Faster, Sven!" Kristoff yelled.

The wind whipped Elsa's face but she couldn't care less. She had to find Anna if it was the last thing she did. She wouldn't lose her – never again.

"You're familiar with the woods, yes?" Elsa said, addressing Kristoff. The boy nodded, "Yeah."

"There should be somewhere – a shack maybe? A house? Maybe even a cave…"

Kristoff bit his lip and looked around nervously, "There _is _a place. My group, the ice harvesters, they say a witch lives there but I never believed them," he let out a forced chuckle, "I never believed in magic until…you know…" he gestured to the ice trail led by his sled.

"A witch?" Elsa said. This could just be another superstition by the mountain men, a true story warped by the effects of time. A legend turned into a fable. But this was possibly her only lead to Anna. She felt a surge of determination pulse through her, "Let's go."

"Go, Sven!" Kristoff said and the little reindeer, with all its strength, burst forward into the night.

They pressed onward until the trio had arrived in a small clearing. Elsa looked around and her eyes widened when she spotted a patch of pink on the ground. Her legs moved of their own accord and she picked up the shoe.

"Anna," she whispered and her eyes focused on a small stone pillar in the middle of the clearing. It had a wooden door, small and forbearing. There was no doubt in her mind that whatever was behind that door had a lead on her sister.

The princess gulped – she was terrified, there was no doubt about that but…but courage wasn't _not _being afraid. It was loving someone enough to charge into the darkness, no matter how scary, and face your monsters.

Elsa clenched her fists and took a step forward. And another. Soon she found herself in front of the door. Her hand rose up, ready to knock and she hesitated a moment before…

_Knock, knock, knock._

She waited but there was no reply. Her eyes narrowed and she concentrated on sending an arc of ice straight into the keyhole. It clicked open to reveal a dimly lit hallway.

"Cool," Kristoff said. Elsa jumped, not realizing that the boy had sneaked up beside her.

"Uh…thanks. You don't need to go, actually," Elsa said, motioning towards the hallway. She wanted as much company as she could get but she wouldn't force anyone to follow her. She firmly believed that this was her fault and she had to correct it using her own resources.

"No. No, I'm coming," Kristoff said in a confident tone, "This is my chance to be the hero for once, see?"

Elsa shot him a look but said nothing. Together, the two children walked into the hallway with the reindeer following not so far behind.

_It's my turn, _Elsa thought as the darkness seemed to close in on her. The halls were empty and the only sounds heard were their footsteps and the faint wind howling outside. Her face twisted into a look of fiery determination, _This time, __**I'm **__going to save my sister._

* * *

**Author's Note**

Brilliant. I updated in much less than a week. I'd like to warn you that the Lady on the Throne arc is not the last of the plot twists. I'd like to know your opinions though - if Elsa could go back to her original timeline, would she? Or would she choose to stay with the Anna she had never slammed the door on?

Also...um, I don't like this chapter much. I feel like I'm drifting far from their voices, like they're going out of character or something. Bleh, whatever. This story is starting to feel like a burden so I'd like to ask - would you like me to continue?


	11. A Proposition

**Second Chances**

**Chapter Eleven: A Proposition**

Anna felt a sense of dread. She didn't understand why this woman was so keen on finding the source of the magic but she was sure it couldn't be anything good.

"It's your sister, yes? She's the one who has been using the magic?"

Anna didn't reply.

"Is she? Tell me, it is of utmost importance I must know!"

Anna shook her head though she was surprised by the desperate tone the woman was using.

"Tell me little brat or I'll make you!" her pleading voice had shifted immediately to an angry one. Anna gulped and backed away, "N-no, I can't!"

"Anna!" a familiar voice suddenly called from behind her. There was a loud cracking noise and she whirled her head around to see the icy remains of the door scattered on the floor.

Her eyes lit up, "Elsa!"

(*)

Blood rushed into Elsa's ears. She felt the familiar tingling sense in her fingers and ice shot out of them in every direction. Thankfully, Anna was in the room. The only problem was the woman whose clothed head was turned towards her.

"Ah, you! You are the magic user!"

"Don't tell her about your - mmph!" Anna's sentence was cut as the clothed woman placed a withered hand on her mouth.

"Let go of her!" Elsa yelled. If any harm were to come to her baby sister she'd never forgive herself. Ever. The anger pulsated through her causing the entire floor of the room to ice over faster than she had ever seen.

"Ice magic, not uncommon…but the time magic! Show me the time magic!" the woman cried. Elsa's eyes narrowed and she felt a cold draft blow into the room. There was a shriek of terror as the cloth covering the woman's face was blown upwards revealing…

Elsa jumped backwards in shock. The woman was, by far, the strangest thing she had ever seen. Half her face was that of a beautiful young woman whereas the other was an old woman's face – wrinkled and shriveled and gray.

"You…you…" Elsa tried to say.

"Monster!" Kristoff yelled. He had been so quiet that Elsa had completely forgotten he was there. She shot him a look, quieting him and faced back towards the woman who had pulled the cloth over her face again. Her pulse quickened when she saw Anna struggling against the woman's bony fingers.

"Wh-what are you?" Elsa said hesitantly, her fingers clenched, "Who are you?"

There was a pregnant pause.

"Who are you?" Elsa repeated, "And what do you mean about my magic?"

"So you do have the magic?"

"I'm the one asking the questions," the young princess said with the regality of a Queen.

Another moment of silence passed, shorter this time. "I have many different names. If I were to tell you my real one…you would disintegrate before my eyes. Here in this world, though, I am called the Time Guardian or the Lady on the Throne."

Elsa considered this. "The Time Guardian?"

"Yes, and I've come to persecute you."

Her eyes widened, "Persecute me?"

"You disobeyed the rules of time – you travelled through it with neither license and you are underage. You destroyed what was to be a fixed event. You have given me burdens, paradoxes I've had to fix. Universes I had to weave and cracks in the universe I had to mend!" the woman said impatiently, "It simply cannot be!"

Elsa frowned, still watching Anna from the corner of her eye. Her sister was quiet for once, listening to the conversation. Breathing in slowly, she tried to explain. "I don't understand exactly how I got here, to this timeline I mean. I have a suspicion but it isn't a proven fact and I think I can understand what you mean…" she tried to recall anything of this Time Guardian. Perhaps if she had been listening more in mythology she would have been able to make more sense of what was going on. "But I got here by accident and I don't know how to get back."

The woman seemed to ponder on her words.

"Ma'am, there's been some break-in, th'door was wide ope – " a voice called, halting suddenly. Elsa looked back to face a dark haired man, surveying the frozen room with wide eyes.

"Oh, shut it," the woman said, waving her hand. The man instantly quieted but his mouth was still hanging open in shock.

"Do you want to?" the woman asked suddenly. Elsa blinked, "Want to…?"

"Go back. To your original timeline," the woman said, "You may. Less work for me but…I think I understand now," her eyes shifted to Anna, "Yes, I think I understand why you were sent back."

The woman muttered something about Destiny and Fate rivalling before focusing on her again, "You were sent back to correct something. I can see it. Your future is blurry but your past is readable. Yes, I see…regrets. This is your second chance."

"Second chance?"

"You were sent back to the day you had regretted the most to rewrite things."

Elsa's mouth went dry. Could this woman be the answer to her questions? If she knew that much then perhaps it was so. She dared the words to come out of her mouth. "You can answer my questions then."

The woman laughed, a cruel cackling sound that echoed on the icy walls of the chamber, "Yes, obviously. It is the easy part. It is what you do with the knowledge, though, that makes all the difference."

_Two roads diverged in a yellow wood._

Elsa did not hesitate to ask her. "What happened to the Anna I knew? The rea – the older Anna. Is she dead? I must have changed everything."

"It's a bit complex but…" the woman pondered a moment, "She is in a state of time-comatose. I can sense a moment of choice sometime soon. It will either awaken her from the time-comatose or wipe her from the records of the universe forever.

_And sorry I could not travel both._

"You were giving me a choice, then?" Elsa gulped, "To go back or to stay here?"

"Oh, you don't need to decide now. I can give you a week, a month, a year at maximum to let you choose. I can mend the causalities. This is a special case, you may say. Travel through time for love not power. Very different circumstances, rules are set a new," the woman shrugged.

"And what will happen to the Anna here if I choose to go back?"

"She will never have existed," the Time Guardian said lazily, "As I said, this is the turning point. Whatever you choose will change everything, quite possibly forever."

_And be one traveler, long I stood_

_And looked down one as far as I could_

Elsa felt a heavy pressure on her heart. If she chose to stay here, her Anna, the one that had loved her despite the doors slammed on her face would fade. But she reminded herself that the little girl, held in the Time Guardian's grip, was her sister as well. Her sister that, if she was careful, would have the childhood she deserved.

"Ca-can I have time to think?" she stammered. The Time Guardian hand in a welcoming expression but Elsa felt as though she were mocking her, "Name the circumstance. Your maximum is a year. 365 days."

Anna, seeing the chance of escape and seizing it, jumped out of the woman's grasp but she didn't seem to notice. Elsa expected Anna to come over to her but her sister instead stood still where she was.

"Anna, come over here," Elsa said quietly. Anna shook her head, "Wh-why were you saying that stuff?"

"What? Anna, I…"

"No, don't touch me!" Anna yelled, stepping backwards, "Are you like her? She said you had time magic and you said you did! Are you even my sister?"

The world seemed to crash down on Elsa's shoulders, "I'm still your sister, Anna, I just – "

"Will you be making a decision any time soon or can I have a tea?" the woman said, turning to the forgotten man who had entered the room earlier, "David, dear, do get me tea."

The man bowed and nodded, his hands visibly trembling as he left the room.

Elsa stepped backwards, tears forming in her eyes, "Anna…"

"What does she mean by a choice? What are you hiding?" her younger sister cried out, moving towards Kristoff and Sven who were watching the argument with wide eyes. "Is that why you've been acting weird?"

"Your choice, child?"

"What's going on?" Kristoff said wearily.

"I trusted you!"

Elsa kept backing away until she hit the wall, "No! No! No!"

And her body seemed to be on fire as she collapsed into a fetal position and ice cantered around the room.

* * *

**Author's Note**

oh my god, i updated. i'm so sorry for the long wait-lot's of stuff came up. thank you to all who patiently waited for this update, the next chapter is up and ready. also, to make up for it i'm posting a little drabble about our favorite sisters (that i also posted on tumblr btw). how do you think this is going so far?


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